The Underground Railroad eBook

The road to Washington was doing about this time a
marvellously large business. “William Penn”
and other friends in Washington were most vigilant,
and knew where to find passengers who were daily thirsting
for deliverance.

Rebecca Jackson was a woman of about thirty-seven
years of age, of a yellow color, and of bright intellect,
prepossessing in her manners. She had pined in
bondage in Georgetown under Mrs. Margaret Dick, a lady
of wealth and far advanced in life, a firm believer
in slavery and the Presbyterian Church, of which she
was a member.

Rebecca had been her chief attendant, knew all her
whims and ways to perfection. According to Rebecca’s
idea, “she was a peevish, fretful, ill-natured,
but kind-hearted creature.” Being very tired
of her old mistress and heartily sick of bondage,
and withal desiring to save her daughter, she ascertained
the doings of the Underground Rail Road,—­was
told about Canada, &c. She therefore resolved
to make a bold adventure. Mrs. Dick had resided
a long time in Georgetown, but owned three large plantations
in the country, over which she kept three overseers
to look after the slaves. Rebecca had a free
husband, but she was not free to serve him, as she
had to be digging day and night for the “white
people.” Robert, a son of the mistress lived
with his mother. While Rebecca regarded him as
“a man with a very evil disposition,” she
nevertheless believed that he had “sense enough
to see that the present generation of slaves would
not bear so much as slaves had been made to bear the
generation past.”

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ARRIVAL FROM HONEY BROOK TOWNSHIP, 1858.

FRANK CAMPBELL.

Frank was a man of blunt features, rather stout, almost
jet black, and about medium height and weight.
He was not certain about his age, rather thought that
he was between thirty and forty years. He had
been deprived of learning to read or write, but with
hard treatment he had been made fully acquainted under
a man named Henry Campbell, who called himself Frank’s
master, and without his consent managed to profit by
his daily sweat and toil. This Campbell was a
farmer, and was said to be the owner of about one
hundred head of slaves, besides having large investments
in other directions. He did not hesitate to sell
slaves if he could get his price. Every now and
then one and another would find it his turn to be
sold. Frank resolved to try and get out of danger
before times were worse. So he struck out resolutely
for freedom and succeeded.

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ARRIVAL FROM ALEXANDRIA, VA., 1858.

RICHARD BAYNE, CARTER DOWLING AND BENJAMIN TAYLOR.

Richard stated that a man named “Rudolph Massey,
a merchant tailor, hard rum-drinker, card player,
etc.” claimed to own him, and had held him,
up to the time of his escape, as with bands of brass.